Better Change or Better Improvement?

A Better Way of Leading:

'Better Change or Better Improvement?'

In leadership, education, and personal development, the terms "improvement" and "change" are often used interchangeably. However, it's crucial to understand that while every improvement involves a level of change, not every change necessarily leads to improvement. This distinction is vital for anyone aiming to achieve meaningful progress in their personal or professional life.

Leaders are constantly seeking improvement, but is finding "a better way" always synonymous with achieving "way better" results? In this brief article, we will analyse this question by shifting our perspective from leading a change management process to focusing on enhanced leadership capabilities through refining our attention to leading improvement. The goal is to support and facilitate teams to adapt, learn, reflect, and grow based on the anticipated changes that should ultimately lead to improvement.

Viviane Robinson (2011) articulates this well in her book Student-Centered Leadership, where she explains that "change" means moving from one state to another, but the new state could be better, worse, or remain the same. Change is a fundamental aspect of life and can occur in various forms—planned or unplanned, positive or negative. It could be as simple as altering your diet or deciding to use a different brand of toothpaste or as complex as a complete organisational overhaul. Essentially, change is about making something different from what it was before.

?

Change as a neutral concept

Change can be viewed as a 'neutral' concept because it is inevitable in every part of our life and may occur without intent or purpose. Changes can be driven by market trends, technological advancements, regulatory requirements, or environmental developments. The key point is that change, in its purest form, is neutral—it does not inherently imply either benefit or harm.

Inherently, change is a language we use to describe a shift in our thinking, processes, or procedures. Change can often have a negative connotation; for example, "Steven doesn’t like change" or “Steven is change adverse and pushes back against any type of change.” The reality is that change is a constant in our daily lives, and we often make decisions that impact ongoing changes, sometimes subconsciously. Whether we like it or not, our bodies and health are changing from minute to minute based on factors such as diet, sleep, illness, and our old friend, time. It is not that people resist change; they resist change that lacks sufficient evidence, understanding, or knowledge, especially if it conflicts with their personal values and beliefs. To ask someone to change from one state to another, we are often asking them to change something they can have deep, strong or embedded beliefs or values about, ands this can generate a level of emotional disconnection to the change agenda.

?

Change versus improvement

If a 'change' is not executed with a well-planned improvement approach, and the tools chosen are not intentionally selected or aligned with the needs of students or stakeholders, then the change may not lead to an improvement in outcomes. For example, Robinson (2011) suggests that the impact of change on teams is significant, especially when it involves moving from one position, initiative or concept to another with minimal benefit. This raises an important question: are you leading improvement or merely rolling the dice on a change model with the hope it will be a positive change?

There are many current examples where this distinction is evident, from council rollouts and development projects to educational reforms. A notable case, for anyone from my era of education, is the Ultranet project in Victoria. Introduced in 2010, the Ultranet was designed to facilitate online learning, communication, and collaboration between students, teachers, and parents. Although the intent was positive, there were significant doubts from the start about whether this change would lead to genuine improvement. With an estimated cost of $180 million, the project was discontinued in 2013 due to low uptake, poor usability, and security concerns. A Victorian Auditor-General's report highlighted significant management failures, lack of proper consultation, and inadequate governance, marking it as a major failure in the education sector. This example underscores the importance of distinguishing between leading improvement and merely enacting change. We have to be clear that the team leading this project would have thought this was going to be an improvement. However, as the Auditor-General highlighted, improvement needs a significant amount of intentional strategy and leadership. As I discussed in my article last week ‘Better doesn’t mean Easy’, there are not short cuts when leading people towards improvement.

?

Improvement as a strategic process

Improvement, in contrast to change, is inherently positive. It involves making something better than it was before. Improvement implies not just a change but a beneficial change that adds value, increases efficiency, enhances quality, or delivers better outcomes.

Improvement is often deliberate and strategic. It requires a clear understanding of the desired end state, an analysis of the current state, and a plan to bridge the gap between the two. It involves setting specific goals, identifying metrics to measure success, and continually evaluating and refining the approach to achieve those goals. Fullan (2011) argues that "change is a process, not an event." This process is about building capacity and understanding, not just ticking off boxes. Thus, intentional improvement leads to sustainable change that builds the team's capacity and understanding.

John Hattie (2012) supports this by noting that "it's not the change that matters; it's the impact of that change on student learning that determines success." In other words, student learning could change and worsen, but if we focus on improvement that leads to positive change, then we ensure those we lead are better tomorrow than they are today.

Understanding the core of improvement

I love my morning coffee—I believe that it's essential to getting my day off to the perfect start. This is a perception, and I have no research to support this. Nevertheless, this is my embedded routine. However, if my wife decided to replace my morning coffee with green tea, for example, which she argues has greater individual benefits with evidence-informed health advantages, she may view this change as an improvement from her perspective and health experts would support her. However, from my perspective, without sufficient consultation, leadership, evidence, and commitment, this change will be perceived as a detriment rather than an improvement to my morning routine and what I believe is important to my own well-being. As Elmore (2008) aptly states, "change without understanding the instructional core is like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic; it’s not going to fix the underlying problem."

In summary, not all changes are improvements. In Trotter’s (2024) book The Art of Skimming Stones: Leading Sustained Improvement in Schools, he argues that educational settings are constantly moving in and out of change or implementation fatigue. However, positive psychology suggests that when we celebrate improvement and positive progress, our self and collective efficacy improves. While change is inevitable and neutral in its purest form, improvement requires a deliberate and strategic approach that focuses on achieving beneficial outcomes. Leaders must understand the distinction between the two and strive to lead with intentional improvement in mind. Only then can they ensure that changes result in positive growth, both for their teams and for the organisation as a whole.

?

Email your reflections, feedback, or challenges to support further discussions around ‘A Better Way of Leading’ to [email protected]

?

?

References

Elmore, R. (2008). Improving the Instructional Core. Harvard Education Press.

Fullan, M. (2011). Change Leader: Learning to Do What Matters Most. Jossey-Bass.

Hattie, J. (2012). Visible Learning for Teachers: Maximising Impact on Learning. Routledge.

Robinson, V. (2011). Student-Centered Leadership. Jossey-Bass.

Trotter, S. (2024). The Art of Skimming Stones: Leading Sustained Improvement in Schools. Amba Press.